Greg Hansen in the Star today says a "deeper PAC-12 would help Cats go deeper" because there just isn't enough high quality competition or big boy opponents in the PAC to get them really ready for the NCAA tournament and onto the Final Four...
He points our that since 1988, when Lute took the Cats to their first Final Four, the PAC's Final Four appearances trail these conferences...
ACC = 28
Big Ten = 24
SEC = 18
Big 12 = 13
PAC = 10
Hansen says "the reason the PAC hasn't been to the Final Four since 2008 is because Lute retired, Monty (Mike Montgomery) went to the NBA, UCLA coach Ben Howland imploded and once promising programs at Oregon and Washington stalled"...
Of course, as we all know, ASU never made a real move during this time period when the PAC door was wide open for the most part...
He says that the PAC has been filled with "lightweights" for the most part since then, although Utah and Oregon are making a move these days...
Furthermore, Hansen says "I suggest that the PAC's chronic bottom-tier weakness and the failure of quality competition, week to week, has been a problem (for Arizona)...AU faced only one ranked team in the PAC...Utah...
So, by the time the Cats met Xavier in the Sweet 16 and especially Wisconsin days later "it was welcome to big-boy basketball"...
He concludes this is what the PAC needs more than anything...for Oregon and Washington to develop Top 25 programs, for UCLA to become a consistent national power and for a fifth team like Cal, under Cuonzo Martin, to access and sign five star recruits like Ivan Rabb (who is considering both Cal and AU right now)...
Of course, he's never going to mention the Sun Devils in this basketball conversation but you could certainly make the argument that the reason ASU is pursuing Jeff Capel is because he could recruit players like Ivan Rabb to ASU and elevate the Sun Devil program in the process...
I think the PAC is pretty wide open these days and that with the right coach, who can recruit top notch players, that ASU could make a big move in the conference...
AU is the preeminent program in the PAC and will most likely stay there under Miller, who is a great recruiter and very good coach, but there are not many good reasons that I can see why ASU cannot make a significant move in the PAC and go Dancing on a regular basis, with the right coach in place...
Do you agree or disagree that the PAC is a lightweight conference and/or whether the Devils, with the right coach, could make a big move in it..??
Championships or Bust...Go Devils!!!
He points our that since 1988, when Lute took the Cats to their first Final Four, the PAC's Final Four appearances trail these conferences...
ACC = 28
Big Ten = 24
SEC = 18
Big 12 = 13
PAC = 10
Hansen says "the reason the PAC hasn't been to the Final Four since 2008 is because Lute retired, Monty (Mike Montgomery) went to the NBA, UCLA coach Ben Howland imploded and once promising programs at Oregon and Washington stalled"...
Of course, as we all know, ASU never made a real move during this time period when the PAC door was wide open for the most part...
He says that the PAC has been filled with "lightweights" for the most part since then, although Utah and Oregon are making a move these days...
Furthermore, Hansen says "I suggest that the PAC's chronic bottom-tier weakness and the failure of quality competition, week to week, has been a problem (for Arizona)...AU faced only one ranked team in the PAC...Utah...
So, by the time the Cats met Xavier in the Sweet 16 and especially Wisconsin days later "it was welcome to big-boy basketball"...
He concludes this is what the PAC needs more than anything...for Oregon and Washington to develop Top 25 programs, for UCLA to become a consistent national power and for a fifth team like Cal, under Cuonzo Martin, to access and sign five star recruits like Ivan Rabb (who is considering both Cal and AU right now)...
Of course, he's never going to mention the Sun Devils in this basketball conversation but you could certainly make the argument that the reason ASU is pursuing Jeff Capel is because he could recruit players like Ivan Rabb to ASU and elevate the Sun Devil program in the process...
I think the PAC is pretty wide open these days and that with the right coach, who can recruit top notch players, that ASU could make a big move in the conference...
AU is the preeminent program in the PAC and will most likely stay there under Miller, who is a great recruiter and very good coach, but there are not many good reasons that I can see why ASU cannot make a significant move in the PAC and go Dancing on a regular basis, with the right coach in place...
Do you agree or disagree that the PAC is a lightweight conference and/or whether the Devils, with the right coach, could make a big move in it..??
Championships or Bust...Go Devils!!!
